Song of Darillium
by TennantsLittleKitten
Summary: "The Doctor watched Clara leave before returning his focus to the blue book. He gently turned the pages scanning its contents. Near the end he spotted the title: 'Darillium'. The Doctor's hearts sank and a knot formed within his throat. He gently nudged the frame of his glasses up the bridge of his nose and swallowed deeply to prepare for the journey ahead." Chapter 1 of ?
1. Something Borrowed, Something Blue

**Hello! This is very much a Eleven x River fic. It is also a work in progress. So please bear with me :)  
>A good portion of the upcoming chapters will be written as pages from River's Diary; hence the italics. Also, I'm changing the rating from T to M, particularly for one future chapter. (It's necessary for plot development.)<br>****Oh, yes. Now I may reference things like crazy, but I do not own anything. Characters and other things that were mentioned in the show itself are not mine and nor do I claim ownership of them. Merci!  
>Hope you enjoy this one!<br>****Geronimo!**

**Ch. 1: Something Borrowed, Something Blue**

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><p>"There you are Doctor." said Clara, instinctively stroking the book spines as she entered into the TARDIS' library.<p>

The Doctor was sitting on a lounge chair reading a tattered blue-covered book. Looking up over his round spectacles he gave her a half smile from the corner of his mouth.

"Whatcha ya reading? I don't think I've seen this one in here before." She perched on the arm of his chair.

"I borrowed it from the largest library in the universe. I've been meaning to read it for a while now." He affectionately placed a hand over top its pages.

"It looks really old. What's it about? 'Love me a good classic!"

"It follows an archaeologist who searches the cosmos for a good wizard and the adventures they inevitably shared." His gaze was lost.

Clara knitted her brow at the Doctor. She knew him well enough to understand that there was more to this than he was letting on. Her face softened when she came to the realization: "Doctor," she began "it's okay if you still find it hard to say goodbye."

He looked up at Clara once more, the pain evident in his old eyes. His bottom lip scrunched as he held back the emotion. "We never met in the right order." He said blankly.

Clara placed a hand on his shoulder. "And that's her account of your stories together." She finished, nodding to the diary in his hands. "Well, then. I'll leave you two to catch up." She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and saw herself out of the library.

The Doctor watched Clara leave before returning his focus to the blue book. He gently turned the pages scanning its contents. Near the end he spotted the title: _Darillium_. The Doctor's hearts sank and a knot formed within his throat. He gently nudged the frame of his glasses up the bridge of his nose and swallowed deeply to prepare for the journey ahead.


	2. New Haircut and a Suit

**Ch. 2: New Haircut and a Suit**

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><p><em>According to legend, the two moons of Darillium were deeply in love and once a lunar cycle they would meet, perfectly aligned in the sky. And from their union stars were born. Thus, Darillian children birthed on this night were said to possess the ability to communicate with the moons and were the connection to the stars. The towers this civilization built were in honor of the two moons. They sit atop the tallest peak on the small planet and reach high into the sky. Now, no one knows why, but every 100 years these towers sing; playing the ancient songs of its people. The civilization of Darillium died out thousands of years ago due to a planet-wide disease, but legend says that the towers began to sing the day the last person perished, and continue to sing on the centennial anniversary of their death. Whether mourning is the reason the towers sing or not remains a mystery but regardless they do; and this is the night that the Doctor brought me to witness it. I'm <em>sure_ it had nothing to do with my incessant asking and his ages of promising, but rather his desire to see this magnificent phenomenon himself. _

_There was a knock on my office door at the university; strange because most staff had already ventured home. I often preferred to stay later, making use of the quiet in order to delve deeper into my research. Usually I had to sift through many history accounts in order to find even a single a trace of him, but this time he found me. To be honest the punctuate sound gave me a bit of a start. It was late evening after all and I was alone, so naturally I drew out my gun from my desk drawer. I approached the door, switched off the safety, took a swift breath and turned the nob. To my delight, my Timelord waited on the other side. He immediately broke into a wide smile as his legs characteristically wobbled and his arms flailed. I'm an independent woman, but it certainly is a joy to see the man you love genuinely happy when he sets his eyes upon you._

_"Rivah!" He exclaimed. _

_"Hello sweetie!" I replied, holstering my gun. "What brings you here, darling?"_

_"Dunno, I thought we could do a thing or something." The Doctor was all gussied up, wearing a well-tailored black suit, bow tie and top hat. Bless him, for he even wore his dancing shoes! _

_"Well that opens up so many possibilities." I grinned suggestively, pursing my lips and straightening his lapels. _

_"Well, you see I got a haircut and thought I ought to celebrate!"_

_I lifted his top hat skeptically examining the brown mass atop his head. His fringe may have been combed for a change, but it looked exactly the same to me. _

_"I-I had it taken up above the ears a bit." He grinned cheesily at me. _

_I flashed him one of my signature _'Oh, you!_' looks. He always pretends to be flustered but I know for a fact he enjoys it.  
>"So where are we going? Somewhere extravagant? A party? Or are we going to just have a night in?" I pulled him into my office. He stumbled over his shiny shoes and landed over top me, incidentally pinning me to my desk. "Oh, eager aren't we!" I nipped at his nose that hovered inches above mine. <em>

_"Oie!" He exclaimed, scrambling off of me. "First we should find out where we _are_, dear."_

_"Alright." I agree enthusiastically. "Jim the fish? What about Hitler?"_

_"Good 'ole Jim. And we should have kept the Fuhrer in the cupboard. Does the top of the Great Pyramid ring any bells, dear?_

_"Oh, why yes it does sweetie! And let me just say that it really _was_ a good one." I winked._

_"What about New York?" His tone saddened._

_"Mum. Dad." I managed._

_"Okay, right then." He paused, "I...uh... guess we're all caught up, Professor. But what year is it here, exactly? I say '_Let's go and visit River._' and the TARDIS just set off. I hadn't even time to set a date before she took off. Mind of her own that one has sometimes. Never leads me wrong though; always plunks me down just where I ought to be." His nose crinkled as he smiled a most wonderful smile. Those green eyes went soft and kind and looked upon me with such sweetness._

_"It's the 52nd century; 5192. Although I like to travel back every now and again to explore when people have need for an archeologist." I answer. _

_The Doctor's face looked dismayed. Perhaps he'd been traveling alone longer than he had realized. But he quickly shrugged it off and turned his attention back to his plans. "The reason I've popped in was that I have a banquet to attend in 4328 and I need a plus one. I returned the Sacred Cheese Block of the Rodent Allegiance of Muridae, you see, and they're throwing me an honorary party. How could I say no? Well, I couldn't actually say no because they sort of threatened me with those horrible bitey teeth things." he mimicked incisor teeth using two fingers in front of his mouth while narrowing his eyes. "I also could not pass up the free cheese. Cheese is cool."_

_"Oh lovely, a rodent society. That's a new one. But what ever should I wear?"_

_"I've got something for you whose color won't make the mice go mad. It's in the TARDIS." _

_Before he had a chance to finish, I grabbed my gun and purse and was headed for the big blue box. He scrambled after me, doing a twirl before shutting the door behind us._


	3. Rat-knackers and Double Doctors

**Ch. 3: Rat-knackers and Double Doctors**

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><p><em>" .That?" I questioned, horribly stunned at the piece of fabric hanging in the console room. <em>

_"It's a dress. Green. Not supposed to agitate the rodents. Although I haven't tested out that theory quite yet."_

_"I'm not supposed to wear that am I?"_

_"Well, it's not for me, dear. It's not my size."_

_I groaned at him, snatched the dress and stomped off to get changed. _

_The dress fit like a glove and it, unbelievably, was a lovely style once on. It was just that dull, olive green color that was going to take some getting used to. The front dipped into a _v_, evenly and graciously accentuating my cleavage. The back also had a slope, with the cool metal of the zipper coming to rest in between my shoulder blades. I found a pair of golden heels and combed out my hair to give it maximum bounce. I'm positive The Doctor liked it best that way. I smoothed my hands down along my waist, taking a last glance in the mirror before heading back to the console room._

_ My heels clicked upon the glass staircase giving away my presence to the spaceman below. _

_He looked up, pausing whatever action he had busied himself with. He stared at me as a husband would, watching his bride enter the room. His eyes were kind and his lips parted. "Yowzah." he whispered. _

_I walked the rest of the way towards him then, a smile stretching across my face that I simply could not contain. He accepted me under his outstretched arm and said: "Come on dear, let's scurry off." He flipped down a lever and the TARDIS was set in flight. _

_We landed with a wheeze (he still insists on leaving the breaks on; silly, silly man) on the planet of Muridae, home of the rodents. To be honest, rats for company weren't my first choice as a date, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose._

_The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS revealing a spherical domed building. It had round holes scattered across its surface. Could they have been anymore stereotypical with the architecture? Swiss cheese...come on! _Some cultures!

_We approached a door where two furry beings were on guard. They stood upright, clothed in suits and sunglasses and held spears to block our entrance. _

_"I'm the Doctor." said my love, holding up his psychic paper identity. "I'm the one who saved your giant cheese, remember? Honoree of tonight's banquet and this is my plus one. Her sister's cousin's aunt twice removed is Muridian by marriage." _

_The guards wiggled their whiskers at the paper in the Doctor's hand, made a sniffle and, in unison, were at ease._

_"Sweetie!" I scoffed sarcastically as we slipped by them. "You just lied to a couple of vermin!"_

_"Now, now, dear. Don't be mean. We're getting free cheese, remember. Do try and behave." He muttered, once out of earshot._

_"Oh, but it's so hard!" I growled flirtatiously._

_We continued through another set of round doors before being greeted by an enormous event hall bathed in golden-orange light. The smell of dairy overwhelmed our senses._

_Just as we were taking in the sights, a large rat - er, I mean, man sauntered up to us. "Doctor!" He bellowed. _

_"King Brie." The doctor replied, patting him on the back._

_Seriously, the cheeseyness of this entire planet was unbearable; pun intended!_

_"Your honoring starts in fifteen minutes. Meet me on the podium then, good sir."_

_"Will do!" he replied rather giddy. The Doctor's ego inflated like a balloon._

_"Aw no!" I said suddenly, realising I had forgotten my purse. "Gotta run to the TARDIS for a moment, Sweetie. Be back in a few." _

_Apparently I had gotten lost amongst the people, because I exited out of a different door than we had entered through. The guards were sleek mice instead. But regardless, the TARDIS still stood there waiting for me._

_I rushed over to it and popped open the door. But, the Doctor had somehow gotten there before me and changed his suit to white. It was the same outfit he wore when he took me on our first date. I remember it well. We had taken the lift to the top floor and the stars, oh, they were gorgeous! I was absolutely flattered that he remembered and he definitely looked just as, or even sexier in white, if that is at all possible._

_"You nostalgic idiot, you just can't keep away." I grinned at him._

_Then I saw the dress hanging there. Exactly like the one I was wearing. I grew suspicious then and even more so when he asked to me check the light on top of the TARDIS. I complied anyway, circling the blue box only to see that the bulb was shining perfectly fine. _Strange._ If he had a rat-lady stashed away in there...No, no, no. He wouldn't. Something else had to be going on._

_As I went back inside a familiar voice from behind me called my name. It was the Doctor from the present, still fully adorned in black suit and top hat. There were two of him and "The mind it races, does it not!" Just picture the fun we could've had! _

_"Come on, we'll be late." the present Doctor said, reminding me of the honor ceremony that would take place in but a few moments time._

_His younger self was just as handsome. A wonderful smile and dazzling green eyes. But still unknowing of all the adventures we had to come. I thought it practical to drop the hint to the younger version, giving the seed time to plant in his head: "He's taking me to the Singing Towers of Darillium!" I told the white-suited Doctor. "He's been promising for ages!" I dashed out then, disallowing time for either of him to say 'No'._

_I quickly ran around the building to grab my purse from the other TARDIS before meeting the Doctor at the podium inside. _

_The Sacred Cheese had been brought in and placed on display. I was literally a giant block of Swiss cheese. How in tarnation had the Doctor managed to get himself involved in this one?_

_Regardless, the show must go on and the King introduced the Doctor to his people. And the rodents cheered, which made the ageless god giggle like a schoolboy. He pointed and waved and spun around giving the Muridians quite a display. _

_Then however, things turned from ideal to problematic. As the Doctor went to address the Sacred Cheese, he lost his balance. His top hat flew off and landed in my arms with me letting out a surprised gasp. The Doctor, on the other hand, fell right atop their sacred monument, causing a corner of it to fly off and smack the king right in the rat-knackers!_

_King Brie doubled over and the entire room erupted in a pitchy horrified shriek. Kings men scurried over to Brie's side and I dashed to the Doctor where I helped him up and refunded him his top hat. The Timelord's face was twisted with fear and embarrassment. His jaw however, dropped immediately when he laid eyes upon the Sacred Cheese and its lack of a corner. _

_By this time King Brie had been returned to his feet, and he looked rather furious! Those evil bitey things that the Doctor had warned me about earlier, were now cause for great concern._

_I could hear the Doctor gulp as my eyes darted back and forth between him and the snarling, puffed up King. _

_"Rivahhhhh," stammered the Doctor as we stood motionless beside one another. "run!"_

_And so, he grabbed a hold of my hand and led me through the maze of temperamental mice and rats. They nipped and clawed at us as we squeaked by towards the door and back to the safety of the TARDIS._

_I have never seen him set her in flight as fast as he did that night. A flick here, some furious typing there and with a flip of his wrist, the whir of the TARDIS was carrying us off to who-knows-where._

_Still standing with my back against the door as a barricade, a giggle bubbled out of me amongst the huffing from such a frantic escape._

_"Wha-at?" whined the Doctor. _

_"Nothing." I snorted, shaking my head, letting my curls exaggerate the word. "Never a dull moment with you, Sweetie!"_

_The Doctor grumbled playfully, a smile of his own breaking up the seriousness upon his face._

_"So where are we headed now? Surely we cannot count __that as a proper date." I approached the console, resting my hands upon it so as to meet his gaze completely._

_His expression turned solemn as he spoke. "You said it was __5192, did you not?"_

_"Yes..." I hesitated, unsure of where this conversation was headed._

_"Well," he swallowed with difficulty, "it just so happens that it is another centennial anniversary of the death of the Darillians." He looked at me with transfixed eyes._

_Mine however, must have lighten up like a thousand stars. "Oh, Sweetie!" I shrilled with delight, running over to plant a wet kiss upon his cheek. _

_The TARDIS landed with a light thud (he had even taken the breaks off this time) and I immediately rushed to the door._

_"Ah, ah, ah!" he stopped me, "Allow me, Professor Song." he opened the door with a creak. _


	4. A Night To Remember

**Ch. 4: A Night To Remember**

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><p><em>A lavender light flowed in from outside. There were two moons shining brilliantly in the sky with a million stars twinkling in the distance. The Doctor had set us down on a hillside which enabled a perfect view of the two towers in the distance. It was more than my imagination could have ever envisioned. <em>

_The towers were crafted from a polished stone, stretching upwards from the highest peak on the planet. At the summit of the great structures, each had a pointed roof with pillars to hold it in place.__Mist clouded their bases, but every now and again as it shifted, one could see a wall encircling the two towers._

_"It's beautiful, Sweetie." I breathed, drinking in every detail._

_The Doctor caressed my back with his warm hand, fending off the chill in the night air. "Any minute now they'll begin to sing. They play out an ancient hymn whose lyrics have unfortunately been lost throughout the millennia. It's been quite some time since we learned of the Darillians at the Academy." he trailed off nostalgically. _

_"You learned about them on Gallifrey?" I questioned naïvely._

_"Yes, I'm not that old dear." he chided teasingly._

_I chuckled with him, wrapping an arm around his waist as we stood and gazed out towards the towers._

_And then they began. Magically, their melody echoed out, hauntingly engulfing the planet. Neither forcefully nor passively, the notes drifted out to our ears. We were the only audience, yet it seemed as if the towers were performing for a million lost souls._

_The towers would continue to sing all night through, but after some time, I noticed a change in my Timelord's demeanor. As I glanced to my left, I could see the shimmer of a tear upon his cheek in the moonlight._

_"Doctor?" I questioned with concern._

_His hand quickly raised to his face rubbing the salt trail away so I would not see._

_"Hey," I continued softly. "what's the matter?"_

_He blinked trying to erase those that had yet to fall. "N-nothing, dear." he lied with a sniffle._

_"Rule number one." I countered. "Please tell me."_

_"I can't Rivah." he stated painfully. _

_I knew him well enough to tell that this time he was sincere. There was something I wasn't supposed to know; not yet anyway. _

_I let the matter go, but not without trying to comfort his apparent sorrow. _

_I turned my back to the towers, standing in front of the Doctor and cupping his face in my hands. He smiled at me, his eyes spoke silently that he loved me. "I love you too." I whispered, placing a kiss upon his lips. _

_He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. He pressed into my neck, breathing gently which sent a shiver down my spine. Next he nestled a kiss into the bit of skin where neck and shoulder met. I pressed my nose to his cheek while delivering a lingering kiss to the side of his face._

_We just stood there for a moment, tangled up in one another's comforting embrace._

_Then the Doctor tilted his face back, so as to look straight into my eyes. He spoke not a word, but his expression said it all. He needed me and I needed him. His arms fell to my side, scooping up my hands with his own. He squeezed them gently before stepping back and guiding us towards the blue box on the hill._

_He led me past the console, up the stairs and to a familiar door._

_He reached for the door knob, but I quickly batted his hand away. "Ah, ah, ah." I scolded. "Allow me, Doctor." _

_He smirked at my characteristic actions. It was not a moment later before we stumbled into the room. He bent his chin down towards me, resting his forehead on mine. Electricity pulsed between us. I kissed him then, nibbling at his lower lip, while my tongue begged for entrance. He responded in kind, tangling his flexible muscle with mine. _

_The Doctor's hand slipped into my golden curls. I'm glad I had taken the time to comb them out earlier. I just knew he liked my hair best that way._

_Our hands explored one another as we took turns removing each other's clothing. I loosened his bow tie and undid the buttons of his white shirt as he found the zipper between my shoulders. He pushed the straps delicately down my arms while I aided in peeling the shirt from his back. _

_I made fast work of the rest of his clothing, eager to run my fingers over his milky flesh. Those birthmarks too are wonderful. Lost dark spots in a sea of white. So vulnerable and so delicious. I suckled at the two hovering near the base of his neck. The Doctor moaned lightly as he always did. He fidgets with my bra clasp as I continued at his freckles. I merely thumb over the one which lingers near to his navel. I'd have to get that one later._

_The Doctor was more cautious than me, as always; peeling off the layers delicately as if savoring the moment. I didn't mind however. In a way it made me feel special and important. Silly, I know, but I truly do cherish moments like these._

_I aid him along, shimmying out of my knickers and flipping them aside with my toes. Finally, there were no more barriers between us. _

_He takes me in his arms and we fall onto the mattress. I hardly leave him time to breathe, taking charge over the heavy snogging. I run my fingers roughly through his fringe, digging into the brown mass and pulling him as physically close to me as I can. He does not refuse as he matches my pace._

_I'm ready now, and I know he is too. But just as I was about to straddle him proper, he stopped me. "Sweetie, what are you doing?" I said, or maybe I huffed it out between gasps. He didn't answer though, and instead he only gripped my shoulders and raised himself up. Curving an arm around the small of my back he shifted us around, guiding me down to the bed instead. _

_Something took over him then. Reaching out from the inner depths of his soul. Something primal. Needy. Passionate. He pinned my wrists to the bed as he lingered over top of me. The black orbs of his pupils hovered within green irises as he stared at me with awe; worry almost. Then he bent his head, kissing me hungrily as I lay helpless to his desires below. We were a married couple and thus no strangers to the act, but tonight was different. I was usually the aggressor and he a bit clumsy and awkward. Tonight however, he moved with skill and ease as if he wished to make this moment count. _

_His desires were also my own. And so, I met his passion, shifting my hand as to interlock our fingers._

_The Doctor generated a rhythm which could have moved a thousand galaxies. It was so desperate and desiring yet, at the same time, gentle and compassionate. Who knew that he was so incredibly skilled? Why hadn't I let him take charge like this before?_

_A million nerves exploded within me. I could feel the chemicals being released and course through my vessels. And when they reached their destination, the pleasure was only made a thousand times greater. This went on for what seemed like an eternity at the time, and I had been in no hurry to rush it along. My legs stretched while my toes curled and my fingers dug into the shoulders of my Timelord lover._

_He braced himself above me, beads of sweat forming upon his brow. His eyes never left mine. Perhaps he searched for approval within them, or maybe he simply wished for this moment to become ingrained within his mind. I know I certainly wanted it seared into my memory!_

_I was close and so was he, although he tried his very best to hold on, ensuring my needs were met first. I could feel the onset. I was starting to see white. The Doctor drove forwards once more and that was it. His name rang throughout the TARDIS on the notes of my voice, while he whispered "Rivah" into my ear. He released not a moment after and collapsed onto his side next to me._

_My body was still shaking and numb. Endorphins rushed through me making every inch tingle with pleasure._

_"Yowzah." I breathed, turning my head to face him._

_He grinned at me, taking in the smile upon my face._

_"Was that alright?" he questioned shyly._

_"Alright? Sweetie, that was amazing!" He smiled then and engulfed me in his arms. I cuddled in closer, twisting our legs together and resting my head upon his chest._

_Laying there, everything was silent. But then we could hear a distant melody. It was the towers. Not yet dawn, they still mournfully sang out to their people. It was a chilling experience. _

_We lay there for a while longer before I shifted and rose out of bed. The Doctor looked at me with fearful eyes. "Come on, love" I said, wrapping a robe around my naked body. "We have time to catch the last of it before dawn." What was with him? Every time I moved he looked as though he'd seen a ghost. He followed me though, slipping on his trousers and dress shirt._

_The sun was peeking out from behind the towers, turning the lavender of night into a cascade of orange light. _

_I rubbed at my folded arms, staving off the morning chill. The Doctor arrived behind me just as the last few notes of the ancient song were being sung. The frosty white of our breaths mingled as we exhaled into the morning air._

_I reached down a hand, finding his dangling by my side. Gripping it, I interlaced our fingers. He squeezed back just as the song ended. The melody echoed for a moment longer, seemingly searching for a proper goodbye._

_"Come on, River." he spoke, turning back towards the TARDIS. I could tell from the hoarseness of his voice that he was teary again._

_I joined him in the TARDIS, taking a seat upon one of the leathery chairs. He busied himself with the console's controls. "What's wrong, Sweetie?" I asked, crossing my legs._

_He looked startled by the question. "Oh, you know me, dear. Just a sentimental idiot." he waved his hand seemingly try to shoo away the subject._

_"It's not goodbye you know. And it never will be either. Not until you say so. You hate goodbyes." I said honesty._

_"I guess you're right." he admitted._

_I smiled at him and got up, coming over to his side where I placed my head upon his shoulder._

_"I have you something." he added._

_I lit up then. "For me?" I questioned, fluttering my eyelids._

_"Mmhmm." he confirmed bopping me on the nose like he's done so many times before._

_He pushed a button on the console and out rose a sonic screwdriver. It was grey and looked nothing like his current one. But nonetheless, it was a version of the Doctor's ultimate tool._

_"A sonic?!" I said with excitement and surprise._

_"Yeah, well, it's a bit of an updated trial version, but I think it works just fine."_

_I snatched up the device in my hands and examined its shape. I ran a finger over its length, turning it in the other hand to inspect the craftsmanship. It had a bulb-like light on the top and tapered off as it reached the end._

_"Does it do wood?" I joked._

_He chuckled back in the negative._

_"That's alright," I replied. "It's wonderful, Sweetie. Thank you. But why exactly?"_

_"Just in case, dear." he replied quietly. I did often get myself into trouble, and I suppose this was the Doctor's way of weaning me off of my pistol._

_Satisfied, I pecked him on the cheek._

_"Come Sweetie, let's go and get dressed. Can't return me to the university like this, now can you." I flipped open the robe enough to give him a view of my bare flesh underneath. "People may talk."  
>He purred with arousal. <em>

_We dressed properly in the privacy of the bedroom. I re-dawned my 52nd century clothing and folded the dress; I was going to keep this one for myself. Too many memories to have it sit in the TARDIS' wardrobe. The Doctor changed back into his tweed and suspenders combination and fidgeted impatiently with the folds of his bow-tie. I stepped in to aid him, slowly reaching to his neck, smoothing the fabric beneath his shirt collar and expertly tying it into a neat bow. I lingered at the final step, looking at him with loving eyes. This had been the most wonderful time we have ever shared made even more special by the fact that our timelines had finally caught up with one another._

_There was a gentle thud, as I reckoned we had landed at the University._

_I stepped out of the blue box. Everything was the same, in fact I think it was mere minutes after the time we had left. His accuracy was improving. I set my things down on my desk and turned around to see the Doctor leaning against the TARDIS door._

_He swallowed thickly as he studied me._

_"__Thank you, Sweetie." I said gently. He smiled at my content. "Looks like I have some records to update; smooth out some of details that the experts have gotten wrong." I winked, hoping to diffuse his somber mood. I could tell that he needed to leave, just as he always did; but something was urging him to stay._

_"__I-I need to –" he stammered._

_"__- I know." I finished. I walked back over to him and placed a hand on his cheek. He leaned towards it, embracing my touch. I stood on tiptoe and placed a soft kiss upon his lips. "Goodbye, Sweetie."_

_He blinked hard and then we broke apart. His hand brushed over mine as he retreated back into the TARDIS. Whatever spoilers he was concealing must be very impactful. I have never seen him look so grim. _

_There was a whir, followed by the familiar wheezing of the blue box. And just like that he vanished. A few papers rustled on my desk but then stilled. I sat down behind them and now I am writing this. I need every detail to be explicit. I never want to forget – though I doubt that I ever will. My night with the Doctor; my night at Darillium._

The Doctor looked up as his eyes scanned the final words. His cheeks glistened from the salt water trails his tears had carved. His face was grief stricken; his gaze hollow. The diary trembled in his hands. Then something caught his attention. Sticking to the back cover was _another_ page. Hastily he flipped it over.


End file.
